Truss.



W. F. LOUX.

TRUSS. I

APPLICATION FILED APII.30. I914.

Patented July 18, 1916.

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WILLIAM ERANKLIN LOUX, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ssIeNoR TO WILLIAM H. I-IoRN & BROTHER, INooRPoRA'rEn, or PHI ADELP IA, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. I

THUS S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 30, 1914. Serial No. 835,500.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILLIAM FRANKLIN Loux, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Trusses, of which the following is a specification.

In trusses as commonly employed for the treatment of hernia, and particularly thoseused for double hernias, the resilient strip or spring is customarily open in front, and its ends, on which the truss pads are carried, are separably connected by a strap. In this form of truss there is at all times a. likelihood that the pads will move or be placed to one side or the other of the hernias by reason of alteration-in the form of the body of the wearer or because of the careless application or adjustment of the truss.

In a second form of truss the resilient strip or spring opens at the back of the wearer, having its ends as above detachably connected by a strap, and while this has the advantage that the pads remain at the proper fixed distances apart, on the other hand, by virtue of its construction, both pads necessarily have the same pressure applied to them. Moreover, since the front portion of the spring strip is relatively stiff, the pressure is dead and unvarying, depending largely on the tightness of adjustment of the strap.

One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a truss which, while possessing the advantages of both of the above named types, at the same time is of such construction that it may include springs of different strengths for acting on hernias of different severity with independent and different pressures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truss in which the distance between the pads shall be fixed after they have been adjusted on their supporting structure, and in which the springs are capable of inclependent action, it being also desired that the construction shall be such that the act of applying the truss shall cause the pads to exert an effect onthe hernias suchaswould be caused by the human hands in the act of reducing the same. In other words, the pressure of the pads is first exerted at the lower parts of the hernial openings and is gradually increased upwardly as the truss spring is brought in contact with the body.

These obj ects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which the figure is a perspective. view illustrating a truss constructed according to my invention.

In the above drawing 1 and 2- represent two Ll-shaped springs of strip material each having in one end an elongated slot .3 and connectedat said slotted ends by a front piece 4 to which they are hinged. Onthe opposite end of one of said springs is a'strap 5 having a series of openings 6 for the reception of a suitable headed pin carried by the free end of the second spring. These free ends of the springs constitute the back of the truss and respectively carry pressure or back pads? and 8 which may be of any .of the springs and arranged to permit its pad being adjusted toward and from the other as may be desired. These hernia pads are of any suitable construction and mounts v ing and are properly adjusted in fitting the truss to the person who is to wear the same by rotating them on the screws 11 as axes and moving them toward or from each other until they occupy positions such as to suitably act on the hernias to be treated. Said screws are then tightened and in applying the truss the front pads 9 and 10 are first placed over the hernias, whereupon the act of placing the pressure pads 7 and 8 upon the back of the patient soturns the springs 1 and 2 with their pads 9 and 10 upon the hinges or pivots connecting them to the piece 4:, as to cause these latter pads to move relatively toward each other in a sliding engagement with the body. Thereafter the free ends of the truss are connected byengaging the pin on the spring 2 withthat ferent pressures upon the hernias engaged by their pads 9 and 10 and for this purpose may be made of different materials or dimensions or on the other hand may be given diiierent primary shapes so as to attain the same end when placed upon the wearer.

One advantage of the above construction resides in the fact that it is not possible for the distances between the pads 9 and 10 to be varied either by carelessness of adjustment of the wearer or by reason of changes in the shape of his body, while in addition, each spring acts upon the hernia covered by its pad in such a manner that it is practically independent of the other spring. Owing'to this fact each pad has exerted upon it the desired pressure although the action is a springy one, in contradistinction to that existing ii the two ends of the springs 1 and 2 were rigidly connected as heretofore has been the case with trusses which open in the back.

While in the drawing 1 have shown a front piece hinged to both of the truss springs 1 and 2, it will be understood that without departing from my invention one of these hinges may be omitted and the springs be directly connected by means of a single hinge. In any case the springs act independently of each other so that the device possesses all of the advantages above noted.

I claim: 1. The combination in a truss of two spring members each having a rigid piece connected to one end; a third rigid piece having its ends respectively hinged to said pieces on the spring members; hernia pads respectively mounted on the rigid pieces of the spring members adjacent their points of connection with the third rigid piece; and pressure pads respectively mounted on the spring members adjacent their free ends.

2. The combination in a truss of a rigid front piece; wo spring members respectively hinged to said piece; and hernia pads mounted on the spring members adjacent their points of connection to the front-piece.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM FRANKLIN LOUX.

Witnesses:

YVILLIAM E. BRADLEY,

M. A. BARR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

